Bukchon Hanok Village -북촌한옥마을
Bukchon (Northern Village) Hanok (Traditional Korean houses) Village.
This beautiful folk village sits in the middle of the city, showing distinctive features of modern and traditional. It's located between two palaces of Joseon Dynasty - Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung. It is a living village inhabited by Seoul citizens and it's not meant for tourists actually; with the number of tourists growing gradually, there are more complaints made by the residents due to the increased noise and environment pollution. Thus there's a signboard which sets as a reminder to all tourists to keep their volume down. Also, do not litter. Imagine passerby littering in your neighbourhood, you won't be happy too will you? Always act as an educated traveller, respect others so others will treat you the same :)
I went before sunset. I was fortunate enough that there weren't many tourists around :D I had the whole alley by myself for about 15 minutes before seeing a small group of people coming down. Perfect for photo opportunities however I did not take too many photos; I was just wandering through the alleys, looking upward to see the traditional houses; and then backward to see the modern city sitting down there. I repeated aimlessly. It was a crisp, clear winter day. I was indulging in the tranquil atmosphere and for a moment, I thought I was frozen in time. I started imagining myself living in one of these houses back in the olden days.
When my friend asked if I wanted to take photos, that's when I pulled myself back to reality and started snapping a few shots before the skies turn dark.
I went before sunset. I was fortunate enough that there weren't many tourists around :D I had the whole alley by myself for about 15 minutes before seeing a small group of people coming down. Perfect for photo opportunities however I did not take too many photos; I was just wandering through the alleys, looking upward to see the traditional houses; and then backward to see the modern city sitting down there. I repeated aimlessly. It was a crisp, clear winter day. I was indulging in the tranquil atmosphere and for a moment, I thought I was frozen in time. I started imagining myself living in one of these houses back in the olden days.
When my friend asked if I wanted to take photos, that's when I pulled myself back to reality and started snapping a few shots before the skies turn dark.
Beautiful, just beautiful houses.
Upward to more traditional architectures.
Downward to see the modern city.
What a sight! This was the last shot and also my favourite photo from Bukchon.
There are 8 great views of Bukchon and there are signs on the road indicating each view so just find the signs and you can see/take photos of the perfect views of Bukchon. Part of the houses now function as restaurants, guesthouses, museums and craft workshops. I did not do much research before visiting because when I came across images of Bukchon online I thought "Wow, this place looks so lovely and interesting, I must go and take lots of photos." I was pretty disappointed with my shallow thoughts beforehand :(
Anyway I was glad I didn't end up pressing on the shutter all the time because at the end of the day, I had the prettiest sights of Bukchon in my mind :)
Getting there:
Anguk Station (Seoul Subway Line 3), Exit 2.
Go straight for about 300m to arrive at Bukchon Hanok Village.
Go straight for about 300m to arrive at Bukchon Hanok Village.
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